Kickstart - 81 GS550L

[Guest]

My bike doesn't have a kickstart, but some 550's did. Can I convert mine? I got the bike to turn over today but only by directly applying the signal wire to the relay. The electric start button is weak or something. When I push it I can just hear a tiny click from the relay but that's it. And it barely lights up a test light. I like the idea of the simplicity of a kickstart.

[Crankthat]

Good battery?
Clutch pulled in while trying to start even when out of gear? (That is a safety Feature on your bike)
My limited experience in this would say you need to buy or trade for a earlier model bike.
I may well be wrong in this.

Have you received your mega welcome from basecliff yet?
It has been a while that I have gone over the links (provided in blue text) on the mega welcome but if memory serves, you will find some info on what you need to do to refurbish your electrical system, A good place to start would be by polishing your connectors and grounds on the bike and should cost you little more then time and elbow grease.

The info on cleaning your connectors should be had on the link to basecliffs website.
He also has a link below (Help my bike won,t start) that may help you.
Be sure to read the top ten newbie mistakes.
After you read through this and have tried a few things (cleaning the electrical system being the top priority) it will give members a better idea of what your problems may be if you cannot correct it with the info you see.

Greetings and Salutations,

(EDIT: Please DO NOT "Reply" to this thread to introduce yourself. This is an informational post only. Feel free to start a new thread in the "GS Owners" section of the forum to introduce yourself. Thanks!)

Every once in a while I will miss a new member or two and they may not receive their proper greeting. If you are here you probably have a 30 year old motorcycle that needs about 20 years worth of maintenance. In the links below you'll find maintenance lists, documentation, wiring diagrams, "how to" guides, vendor links, tips, tricks, and a whole lot of GS goodness. This is your "mega-welcome". Let's get started.

Let me dump a TON of information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please Click Here For Your Mega-Welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

More links to helpful threads in the forum:
Help! Your Bike Won't Start
DON'T DO THESE THINGS
Help! Your Bike Won't Run Well
Oh God! Pods!


Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[zgmike]

Thank you. Fixing the electric start is not a problem, I simply wonder about how difficult, if its even possible, to put a kickstart on the bike. Buying a different bike is also not really an option. I don't want a kickstart to fix my problem, I think it would be good to have that option.

[tkent02]

The 50s until 1979 had kick starters, although they didn't need them. I believe the cases on your '81 are still cast and machined for the kickstarter parts. Buy the clutch cover, and all of the kickstarter parts and you should be in business. Worst case, buy an early engine and put your head and carburetors on it. 550 engines are cheap.

[zgmike]

Thanks. I hadn't thought of that.
its nice when parts from diff. years are interchangeable.